


don't settle for less than you deserve

by theprincessed



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Canon Bisexual Character, F/M, Feelings, Flirting, Gay Bar, M/M, Pre-reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 12:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13717557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Robert tries to work through his feelings on a night out with some ladies from the village...(Inspired by Take That'sHey Boy)





	don't settle for less than you deserve

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! This is rusty ol' me trying to get back into writing Robron that follows canon...sort of. I got inspired to pick up this series again because this song made me think it was soooooo Robert around the time of the reunion, but I didn't want to get anymore Jossed than I am here lol. Although, I did call a handshake before I saw the preview for next week! :')
> 
> #3 is _Hey Boy_ \- [lyrics](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/takethat/heyboy.html) | [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOzgW6HeMzg)
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

Robert lets the ladies leave the taxi first, sliding out and digging in his jeans pocket for money to pay. Maybe part of him still wants to delay turning towards the place his sister and Vanessa conspired to pick for their night out, dragging Robert with them in an effort to cheer him up and, he suspects, encourage him to move on with his life. He's in a much better headspace nowadays and he almost wants to laugh that he feels that way when his situation is so uncertain with being a dad to Seb and Rebecca's injuries and an Aaron-less existence, in the romantic sense. So, whilst he's nervous about this, he's doing it and Victoria tugs at his arm impatiently as Vanessa, Kerry, Bernice and Priya completes their rag-tag group out to have a good time.

Facing the queue, Robert takes a deep breath in, squares his shoulders and prepares to join them with his sister.

“You look lovely, Robert,” Bernice enthuses, dressed in a long coat and heels like she's going to the theatre, not out drinking.

“Yeah, you do scrub up well, to be honest like!” Kerry pipes up, swaying a little already.

“The shirt was my idea,” Victoria interrupts proudly, nudging him and Robert smiles, shaking his head at her giddiness. You'd swear she'd done a total makeover, not given her opinion when he asked her which shirt of two was best.

Vanessa and Priya in front of them look him up and down, silently nodding their approval too. Ordinarily, he might've turned on the charm a little, but he's jittery and tells himself it's because of the cold February night. Beyond Priya's dark head, he sees another gaggle of women a few steps ahead of them glancing his way and whispering. They don't look put off yet, but he wonders if they would be if he told them that he's got a baby at home usually; Seb spending tonight with Diane and Doug at the B&B so her kids can paint the town red.

“Why is this taking so long?” he snaps, looking away from the smiling women.

“It's been forever since you've been out, hasn't it?” Vic snorts, rubbing his elbow to soothe.

Out. He knows she means out of an evening, but his brain traitorously rewinds back to Aaron like it's been doing since their Valentine's Day meal. How, a year ago, he was a newlywed again with a _husband_. Out, indeed, but it hasn't been forever. Proud of Aaron? Absolutely. Proud of himself? Not so much, but he's working on it.

It's shown none moreso when they finally get to the front of the queue and past security, the burly men disappointing him that they didn't even jokingly ask him for his ID, but he knows immediately where he is when the bass of the music hits them and they stop to survey their darkened surroundings.

Kerry and Priya look around. “Is this – is this a gay bar?” Kerry asks excitedly.

“Well, when you invite two bisexuals out for a good time, what do you expect?” Vanessa jokes cheerily, making a beeline for an empty table.

Victoria pulls Robert away from dutifully following them and heads to the bar instead to get the first round of drinks in. The barman is halfway through their order when Victoria breaks the weighted silence between them. “You're okay with this, right?”

Robert blinks, puts his hands on the bar and stares at the glasses in front of him for a moment before he gives his sister a small smile. “I'm here, aren't I?” He knows it isn't a proper answer, his feelings all too tied up to unpick quickly, like a ball made out of elastic bands, but he leaves it at that and looks over his shoulder instead, at Vanessa taking a selfie with Kerry, Bernice and Priya all huddled together, smouldering, “ - They look like they're enjoying themselves anyway,”

“And so should you. I'm proud of you, y'know.” He nods at the compliment, letting its warmth fill him with confidence that still feels tentative, but strangely thrilling, more like the best bits of his old self. Victoria picks up her drink after that, leaving the rest to him. “Come on, let's get these over to them lot.”

From there, it's pretty standard fare – thumping music, coloured shifting lights and warm bodies in groups, clinging to their friends or snogging the faces off their dates or significant others. In one corner half-concealed by shadow, two men are doing just that, lost in each other as the world moves on around them and that's when Robert sees them. He recognises the women from earlier who were standing outside in their party finery and giggling. They're all attractive in their own right, but there's a dark haired beauty who seems to be looking his way a lot more often, sultry eyelashes lowered in quite the come hither move.

“Your type?” Priya asks, leaning over the table.

Robert shrugs. He's not really sure whether he ever really had one, not with his track record.

“Go talk to her,” Bernice suggests. “Lovely hair and nails, of course she's been to a salon for those - Go on, we'll hold the fort here!”

Victoria mutters her name in warning as Robert internally debates. She is nice, but she's not Aaron nice and – _no_! He's meant to be stopping that. He can't spend his life comparing everyone else to his ex-husband. He's not being fair to himself. 

Just when he makes the decision to try, a guy dancing near to the brunette infiltrates her group with smooth ease and takes her attention away from Robert to him. He is gorgeous, hell, Robert can definitely see that, so he sighs and relaxes back into their booth, oddly relieved that there's an excuse not to compete with someone else for a little fun.

“Oh, never mind,” Vanessa says softly, all of them clearly watching Robert and his night out as the star attraction because they're either coupled up, happily single or, in Vanessa's case, trying to make a certain someone jealous. “You could have anyone. Couldn't he, girls?”

Victoria rolls her eyes and pushes at Robert's side. He assumes she needs the loo, but she takes a big glug of her drink then his hand, yanking him away from their table. “Let's dance.”

He's not the biggest fan of dancing and certainly not to this shit beat he can't make head nor tail of, but he tries to go with the flow anyway and allows his sister to guide him. Eventually, they all join in, staying close by and with Vanessa somewhat distracted by her phone, clearly plotting what things to say to Charity stuck back in the village.

Robert only realises he's shuffling next to an attractive man when he smiles at him, small but definitely flirty. “Hi.”

“Hello.”

He's Irish and dark haired too and Robert feels the urge to run. It's less about where he is anymore, a gay bar so what, and more to do with who he keeps seeing even when he's blatantly not there in reality.

“I've not seen you around here before,” the guy tries again. He really is handsome. “Is this your first time?”

Robert thinks about Aaron and how much he tried to get Robert to open himself up, even when he was so far in the closet it felt impossible. That first time in anywhere like this, where he could truly be who he was deep down if he wanted to be and feel entirely free, was terrifying. It's still something to shake his head and lean closer to the man's ear, so they can hear each other.

“No, but it's been a while,”

“Sorry,” the guy chuckles, suddenly shy, “you must think I'm so nosy, feeding you some truly terrible, _terrible_ lines,”

His self-awareness relaxes Robert a little more, his shoulders less tense. He can have conversations with hot strangers. This has always been the easy part.

He extends his hand between them. “I'm Robert.”

“It's nice to meet you. I'm Mike,” he says, mouth turned up on one side, as their palms connect. Robert can see Victoria looking the other way to hide her own smile. “Is there any chance I can get your number?”

Even when he was just looking for a quick fix, sex to forget whatever messy shit was going on his life at the time, Robert never needed numbers for one night stands and then he'd returned to the village, met Aaron and everything changed, including that, so he's a touch surprised at how forward Mike is. He blinks when Mike steps closer before he's given his answer.

“When I see what I want, I go out and get it. Or, rather, _who_ ,” he drawls.

Robert raises his eyebrow. “The least you can do is buy me a drink first,”

“A man with standards,” Mike nods, “I like that. I can give you my number if you prefer that too?”

Talk of numbers must reach the girls' ears because Priya winks at him and Kerry gives the least subtle thumbs up ever known to man. He shrugs and lets Mike type his into Robert's phone instead, Mike stepping into his personal space to slide it back into Robert's palm with all the suggestiveness of easing it into the back pocket of his jeans. What's one more 'contact' among hundreds in his phone?

“Pint?” he asks. “I'll be right back,” he says when Robert's agreed.

Except he looks from the space Mike leaves and there's Aaron.

Robert frowns. No, it's not his imagination. _Aaron_ is here, standing feet away in his jacket and with a scowl on his beautiful face. Once he realises that Robert has clocked him glaring daggers his way, his expression opens like he's just properly seeing Robert for the first time. Aaron's eyes look electric under the purple and pink lights and he takes a determined step forward, but it makes Robert more confused.

He glances towards the bar. Mike hasn't been served yet and Robert feels his heart trip over itself because Aaron's here, this is happening. By now, Victoria and the others have noticed who's caught his attention but even they don't seem inclined to stop Aaron's path to him anymore, like they know deep down it's futile.

“Aaron,” he pleads, when they can hear each other, “what're you doing here?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


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